Aquatic toy



y 1951 F. JJSCHARKOPF 2,551,055

AQUATIC TOY Filed May 21, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 1, 1951 F. J. SCHARKOPF AQUATIC TOY 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 2 1946 INVENTOR. FREDERICK JOHN SCHARKOPF ATTORNEY V Patented May 1, 13951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AQUATIC TOY Frederick John Scharkopf','.Valley Stream,,N. Y. Application May, 21, 1946; Serial' No. 671,238

3 Claims.

This inventionrelates to aquatic: toysand in particular to-one in which water is circulated to propel a boat.

A particular object-of the invention is to provideatoy thatis-amusing. provides for the movementof a. boatto be propelled by the manual operation. of a water wheelso thatthe boat. can be. moved into different positions by the flowof the currentsetu-pby the-operation of the wheel.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a toy towhichlmay be connected. separate trough members-.thatmay be employed with another form of the invention.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device that will require a minimum amount of water so that the. child in playingwith the same will not get wet and one in which. the water supply willbesufiicient to move the boat about and toprovide for thedocking of the same.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, referencev will be hadv to the following. description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended. claims in which. the various. novel. features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawing forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is a view in perspective of a toy con.- structed in accordance with the invention showing the shape of the raceway through which a boat may travel.

Fig. 2 is a plan view-of the toy illustrated. in Fig; 1 showing a gate and its use as a guide in docking the vessel.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the toy illustrated. in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the toy illustrated. in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view in cross section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2 and illustrating thel'mounting of the water wheel and the arrangement of the watertroughs-in thebody of. the. toy.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a modified form of the invention in which the trough is made in the shape of a flume to the ends of which may be de tachably secured extension pieces.

Fig. '7 is a section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6. .Fig. 8 is an enlarged section onthe line 88 of Fig. 6 showing the method of joining the trough and extension pieces.

Fig 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 showing the parts in detached relation.

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the connecting means employed in. attaching the extensions to the trough members.

Fig.. 11 isia. sideview of. thestructureillustrated in Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a plan view similar to Fig. 2 showing the use of the trough extensions illustrated in Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings in detail, In indicates a: base made at any solid materialsuch as apiece of board of rectangular shape presenting the sides H and theends' l'2, the board being preferably longer than it is wide and being ing i9. arranged in spaced relation at one side of. the base In to provide bearings for the water wheel shaft. 210 passing. therethrough.

The building l9. may be provided with a roof section. 2| insimulation of' a mill, the wall [8 being, closed at the opposite ends as at. 2.3 to provide an anti-splash housing in which the water wheel I! operates. The end of the water wheel shaft 20 extends. through. a suitable water tight bearing 24 in the. building [9 and is shaped to provide a crank handle 25. through the medium of. which the water rotated so that the blades 26. thereof will circulate water within the flume and through the waterway [3. The opening i6 leading from the waterwheelto the waterway may be closed by a bar 21' so that a boat 28 will not get caught in the opening; it.

The boat 2.8 while not forming a part of the present invention is so. constructed that it is substantially as wide as the waterway and will be propelled through said waterway by the movement of the water under the influence of the water Wheel.

The formation of the waterway l3 provides a central portion about which the boat travels and thiscentral portion. or island is shaped to provide a docking bay'30 bordered at one side by projections- 31' formed in said island and made in simulation of piers, the spaces 32 therebetween being used for the docking of the boat. The en- 30 may be blocked by trance to the docking bay a guide gate 33 pivoted as'at 34 to the central portion and arranged to be frictionally held in the position illustrated in Fig. 1 to act as a, guide for the boat" inits passage through the waterway and across the mouth of the docking bay. When the gate 33 is opened as indicated in outline in Fig; 2' the boat will be. directed into the docking bay. In order that the fluid contents of the toy may be emptied a spigot 35. is provided opening out of the flume and. located heneath the building [9.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 6 to 11, the toy is constructed of trough members wheel H may be 40 and 4| which are shaped to provide the side walls 42 and bottom 43. One of the trough section 4| has formed on one side thereof a housing 44 and a splash chamber 45 in the walls of which is journalled a water wheel shaft 46 for supporting the water wheel 41 within the splash chamber 45. The side wall 42 of the trough member 4| opens into the bottom of the splash chamber so that water can be circulated in the manner above described through the trough members making up the toy, when the wheel 41 is rotated by turning the crank 48. The straight trough portions 4|] and 4| may be formed in separable sections held together by the use of suitable snap clamps 59 positioned at the ends thereof, each clamp 50 being formed of two spring steel fingers rigidly held at one end and being adapted to be forced apart at their opposite ends.

The extreme ends of the side troughs 46 and 4| are joined by semi-circular trough sections which are detachably secured to the straight trough sections by the clamps 50 which provide a water-tight joint between the sections and provide a toy that presents a waterway made in the shape of a fiume through which the boat may be propelled by the movement of the water as effected by the water wheel. In order to provide for a water-tight joint between the sections of the toy the ends of the straight sections are undercut in the bottom as at 52 to provide a ledge for the support of the bottom wall 53 of the curved sections 5|, the side walls 54 of which are arranged to fit beneath the undercut portions 55 of the side walls 42 of said straight trough sections.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig.

12, the combination of the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1 with the semi-circular trough ends 5| is shown. The construction providesa base 56 having a water wheel 51 mounted on one side thereof, the base being shaped to provide a waterway having curved cross troughs 58 and a docking bay 59 entrance to the latter of which is controlled by the pivoted gate 6|). The straight portions 6| are extended as at 62 to the opposite ends of the base 56 where the passages so formed are continued in the semi-circular trough Dortions 53 that are detachably secured, by the snap clamps 84 which act similarly to snap clamps 5|], to the end walls 65 of the base 55. When the end troughs 63 are not to be used for the passage of the boat, gates 66 pivoted to the base 56 at the juncture of the troughs 58 and 5| may be swung to the position indicated in outline so that the boat will circulate in the direction indicated by the arrow through the straight portions and semicircular end portions of the trough or waterway" that are formed in the base 56. When the gates 65 are in the position indicated by the full lines, the boat may circulate through the passageways 6 I, 62 and 63 and in this form of the invention the base 55 can also be provided with a spigot for discharging the water from the toy.

It is to be understood that water wheels I7, 41 and 51 may be actuated by any suitable means either electrically or magnetically controlled as well as the manual means of control heretofore described.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim a new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. An aquatic toy comprising a base shaped to provide on the upper face thereof parallel troughs opening at each end of the base, channel sections of semi-circular shape arranged to fit against the ends of said base and providin continuations of said troughs, clamp means for securing the meeting ends of the channel sections and the base together to provide leak-proof joints, a water Wheel rotatably mounted on said base at one trough thereof for circulating water through the troughs and the channel section for propelling a boat therethrough, semi-circular trough sections connecting said parallel troughs adjacent the ends of the base and movable gates for directing a boat through said channel sections or through said semi-circular trough sections.

2. An aquatic toy comprising a. base shaped to provide on the upper face thereof parallel troughs opening at each end of the base, channel sections of semi-circular shape arranged to fit against the ends of said base and providing continuations of said troughs, clamp means for securing the meeting ends of the channel sections and the base together to provide leak-proof joints, a water wheel rotatably mounted on said base at one trough thereof for circulating water through the troughs and the channel sections for propelling a boat therethrough, a docking bay disposed between said parallel troughs and opening from one of the troughs, said bay being shaped to provide projections in simulation of piers between which a boat can be docked, and means connected to said base for blocking access to said bay.

3. An aquatic toy comprising a base shaped to provide on the upper face thereof parallel troughs opening at each end of the base, channel sections of semi-circular shape arranged to fit against the ends of said base and providing continuations of said troughs, clamp means for securing the meeting ends of the channel sections and the base together to provide leak-proof joints, a water wheel rotatably mounted on said base at one trough thereof for circulating water through the troughs and the channel sections for propelling a boat therethrough, a docking bay disposed between said parallel troughs and opening from one of the troughs, said bay being shaped to provide projections in simulation of piers between which a boat can be docked, means connected to said base for blocking access to said bay, a housing for said water wheel made in simulation of a mill and constituting an anti-splash enclosure for the wheel and a flume leading from said wheel to one of said troughs.

I FREDERICK JOHN SCHARKOPF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

"OTHER REFERENCES Dock-Engineering by Brysson Cunningham,

1904, Charles Griffin a Co. Ltd. 

